2010
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Tapawan
A surname indicating origin or residence near a riverbank or riverside location.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Tapawan. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tapawan surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Tapawan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tapawan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and White (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tapawan
The surname Tapawan is believed to have originated in the Philippines. It is a Filipino name derived from the Tagalog language, which is spoken primarily in the central and southern parts of the Philippine archipelago.
The name Tapawan is thought to be a combination of two Tagalog words: "tapa," meaning "dried meat" or "jerky," and "bawan," meaning "river" or "stream." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a place or settlement near a river where the production or trade of dried meat was a significant activity.
While records of the name's earliest usage are scarce, it is possible that the name Tapawan first appeared in historical documents or manuscripts from the Spanish colonial era in the Philippines, which began in the 16th century. During this period, many Filipino surnames were documented for the first time by Spanish colonizers.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Tapawan was Juan Tapawan, a Filipino revolutionary who participated in the Philippine Revolution against Spanish colonial rule in the late 19th century. Juan Tapawan was born in the province of Bulacan in 1863 and fought alongside other Filipino revolutionaries until his death in 1899.
Another notable figure with the surname Tapawan was María Tapawan, a Filipino writer and educator who lived in the early 20th century. María Tapawan was born in the province of Pampanga in 1885 and is known for her contributions to Filipino literature and her advocacy for women's education.
In the mid-20th century, Ernesto Tapawan (1920-1998) was a prominent Filipino painter and sculptor. He was born in the province of Batangas and is renowned for his works that depict Filipino culture and historical events.
Rodrigo Tapawan (1945-2010) was a Filipino politician who served as a member of the House of Representatives for the province of Ilocos Norte from 1987 to 1998. He was born in the town of Batac and played a significant role in shaping local policies and legislation during his tenure as a legislator.
Pedro Tapawan (1955-2018) was a Filipino businessman and philanthropist who founded a successful food manufacturing company. He was born in the province of Laguna and was known for his charitable initiatives, particularly in supporting education and healthcare programs in underprivileged communities.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the surname Tapawan throughout history, highlighting the name's rich cultural and historical significance in the Philippines.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tapawan
Among Census respondents with the surname Tapawan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and White (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Tapawan bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Tapawan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander91.2% · 93
- Two or more races4.9% · 5
- White2.9% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tapawan
Tapawan appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-5 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 2,127 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -5 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 2,127 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Tapawan surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #152,628 | #154,755 | -1.4% |
| Count | 107 | 102 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tapawan bearers went from 107 to 102 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 2,127 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #154,755.
FAQ
Tapawan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tapawan?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Tapawan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Tapawan?
Tapawan ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 102 people with the surname Tapawan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Tapawan.
Has Tapawan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tapawan went from 107 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #152,628 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Tapawan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tapawan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and White (2.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Tapawan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tapawan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (91.2%), Two or More Races (4.9%), White (2.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Tapawan (2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Tapawan mean?
A surname indicating origin or residence near a riverbank or riverside location. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Tapawan (0.03 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Tapawan?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.